To Serve a Lord
by EtherealRed
Summary: Behind every lord there is a loyal companion. Behind every companion there is...? A 100 word prompt challenge focused on the player avatars of Fire Emblem.
1. Blue

**AN:** This is the introduction of a 100 word prompt challenge about the player avatars of Fire Emblem - Mark from Blazing Sword, Kris from Heroes of Light and Shadow, and Robin from Awakening. Sorry about the lack of original writing here, but future installments will likely involve more characters, crossovers between all three, and the occasional destruction of the fourth wall.

For Kris I haven't seen all of his supports yet so if I get anything wrong I'd really appreciate it if you point them out.

For Mark's entry I went with a combination of the Superb Mind and Famed Genius endings since each one by itself seemed a bit off.

For Robin...there's not much to say here, really.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

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><p><em><span><strong>The Hero's Guard<strong>_

_Not much is written about Kris in the pages of history. However, many speak highly of the time they spent alongside the one they called Altea's finest knight._

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><p><strong>Blue<strong>

Alteans were obsessed with the color blue, which he supposed was understandable. Blue was the color of their flag, the color of the ocean which surrounded and safeguarded their island kingdom, the color of their beloved royal family. But sometimes Kris felt like people were drawn to him simply because he had blue hair and, as a royal guard, was much more approachable than the likes of Prince Marth. He had never been very popular in small, isolated Sera Village yet the moment he arrived in the capital there had been more than a few swoons in his general direction from women and men alike.

Maybe he should dye it.

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><p><em>"Sire. With this war now over, a hero will be needed. A hero called Prince Marth. There are still hostilities between people who have fought for so long. Those won't disappear easily. In order to have everyone's agreement, a king everyone recognizes- a godlike hero is needed. And that hero must be you, Sire, and you alone. "<em>

_"But then, what you've done so far will be... "_

_"Even if the world doesn't know, you do and that's enough for me."_

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><p><em><span><strong>The Famed Genius<strong>_

_Mark vanished after the final battle. Bern, Lycia, and Etruria all sought those famed skills, but none ever found the tactician whose brilliance changed the course of history._

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><p><strong>Blue<strong>

The sky was blue.

He had always known the sky was blue, of course. He'd looked up at it often enough during the campaign to check the weather and the positioning of the sun, yet while he was always quick to notice the sky's color it was rare that he ever acknowledged it when the color was blue.

The sky was blue. It was the color of Lyn's favored dress and Eliwood's worn tunic and Hector's battered armor, the color engraved in his memory after months in its presence.

One day there would be another war. One day they would call and he would answer, secure in the knowledge that a tactician's place was in the midst of conflict. But until then he would explore this peaceful world and, should he ever grow lonely, look up to the sky.

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><p><em>"You'll do just fine on your own. I have the utmost faith that you'll be a master tactician, Mark. That's from someone who's seen you at work! Well then, take care... I... I hope I see you again. I'm sure that I will someday..."<em>

_"So, this is farewell. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't... This world wouldn't be here. You have my heartfelt gratitude. Mark...I'll see you again. It's a promise, my friend."_

_"I sealed Armads away, like it used to be, but... I can still feel its power pulsing inside me. War is coming. Someday, a terrible war... When that day comes... I want you to be there when that day comes. I want you to guide my children and me. We'll meet again. I'm sure of it!"_

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><p><em><span><strong>The High Deliverer<strong>_

_Robin's legendary exploits filled many a saga and delighted children hungry for a dashing tale of heroism. But what was the man really like? ...Few yet live to remember._

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><p><strong>Blue<strong>

In the courtyard there was a marble statue, that of a young man with quizzical eyes and a gentle smile. Its base was largely obscured by a sea of blue, courtesy of the many flowers planted seemingly at random in a haphazard and chaotic crowd that stood out against the carefully trimmed plants which inhabited the rest of the castle.

It wasn't long before the flowers became almost as revered as the man they honored and the soft blue petals began to emerge around the realm. The flowers bloomed on the tables of commoners and in the halls of nobility, soared on the saddles of pegasi and crowned the horns of wyverns. Soon it was all but impossible to travel within Ylisse without the presence of forget-me-nots.

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><p><em>"I vow to give my all to healing the damage this war has wrought upon the realm. When Robin returns, I want him to see what his sacrifice bought. Robin...if you can hear me... You will always have a place here with us. Remember that. Always."<em>


	2. Gift

**AN: You should probably read this if you don't want to be confused in future chapters :)**

While I'm going with the default Kris for his appearance - blue hair, 1st face, etc. - most of these will have him as a myrmidon instead of a mercenary. This is partly because I don't really know how to write someone wielding that huge sword, partly because I like the myrmidon sprite more than the mercenary sprite, and partly because Kris as a myrmidon is awesome.

Mark is his usual NPC self with the brown hair and green cloak. Looking at what you see of his appearance in the cutscenes (the first one with Lyn and later the one with Lyndis's Legion where he's off to the side) and combining it with the fact that Mark's a tactician-in-training, Hector said he was 'so young' compared to Ostia's tacticians, and most of the characters seem to treat him like a younger sibling when not talking about tactics (that's the vibe I get anyway) I think it can be safely said that in-universe Mark is probably younger than the lords (who are all around 17 or 18).

Robin is the default tactician/grandmaster Robin unless stated otherwise, and his (or her) children and spouse will change from story to story. Sorry if it seems I don't have much to say about Robin, but I think most people are more familiar with him compared to the others so he doesn't require as much of an explanation.

Now that all the boring stuff's out of the way, on to the main attraction!

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><p><strong>Gift<strong>

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><p>Kris dropped to the ground and crouched on top of the freshly killed corpse, pulling out his sword as he strained his senses searching for any other intruders. After a long moment of silence he finally determined the coast was clear and went to light a candle.<p>

There was a very good reason why Kris had volunteered to be Marth's body double - his similar height, build, and hair color meant he could easily be mistaken for the prince from a distance if wearing the right clothes - but he couldn't deny having an ulterior motive. It was juvenile, but the sight of blood soaking into Marth's eyesore of a rug made him grin.

The expensive rug was a gift from King Mostyn and had become a bit of a joke among Marth and his guards. The prince hated the bright, clashing colors but he couldn't exactly throw away a present from an allied king who also happened to be his fiancee's father. Placing it in the more public areas of the castle was out of the question, so he'd compromised by locking it in the relative privacy of his bedroom with the intention of tossing it at the first opportunity.

Kris stepped over the would-be assassin and left, heading to the guest room where Marth was spending the night. He couldn't wait to see the prince's face.

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><p><strong>Gift<strong>

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><p>Mark crouched down to study the items arrayed on the bottom shelf. Potions...hex bags...more potions...and was that a baby wyvern skull with sapphires in the eye sockets? He gingerly picked it up and held it to the light for a better look. He was much more familiar with newly dead wyverns than he was with their skeletons but as far as he could tell it was indeed a real skull.<p>

"You've got a good eye," the shopkeeper said approvingly from behind the counter. "Imported from Bern, made with real sapphires and the skull of the clutch's runt. Superstitious folk say it's good luck."

Mark raised an eyebrow at the enthusiastic sales pitch. "What's it used for?"

"Just a decoration, nothing special. It's rare to see a kid with taste these days so you can have it half off."

"Deal," Mark said immediately, pulling out his coin pouch. A quick look at the price tag told him the skull was already ridiculously cheap in the first place, so a fifty percent discount made it practically free. Did the shopkeeper have a reason for wanting to get rid of it so much? Maybe it was cursed or something. He should show it to Canas later just in case. "Can you wrap it with the best paper you have?"

"Oh?" The shopkeeper looked taken aback. "Is this a gift for someone?"

"Actually, it's Lord Hector's coronation present."

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><p><strong>Gift<strong>

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><p>Naga generally didn't interfere unless it was absolutely necessary, but today was Robin's birthday and no one - the tactician himself included - knew it. Robin had been nothing but kindhearted and unfailingly loyal; how could she let this day pass without any acknowledgement?<p>

-0-0-0-0-

"Hmm...regular swords look good but the killing edges are beginning to dull. Axes are fine, I should probably replace that hammer though." Robin carefully returned the weapons to their racks. A second later he almost sliced off his finger on an axe when something heavy crashed behind him.

He spun and raised his hand, fingers crackling with lightning, then froze and stared at the hammer lying innocently on the floor.

He was still staring when there was another, softer thump; beginning to grow slightly paranoid, he turned to find two brand new killing edges lying on the table. Red silk ribbons were wrapped around their sheathes and tied into an elaborate bow, and was Robin seeing things or were the dust motes floating above them spelling out the words 'Happy Birthday'?

Robin slowly inched around the table and backed outside, carefully closing the tent flap behind him. Then he turned and ran to find Libra, fervently hoping the priest was qualified in exorcisms.


End file.
